By Inyali Peter
Ahead of the primary elections of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to select candidates for the 2019 general elections, members of the party from the northern senatorial district have threatened to boycott all activities relating to the party of the agreement on zoning is not respected.
The senatorial district comprises five local government areas; Bekwarra, Obanliku, Obudu, Ogoja and Yala. And, the decision formed part of the resolutions taken at a stakeholders meeting held in Ogoja on Sunday where the members claimed that they have remained committed to the peace and progress of the party despite the fact that the zone has not been treated fairly in terms of appointment by the federal government.
“We have agreed that if the governorship ticket which all of us sat and agreed in 2014 to zone to the north is taken from us, we will boycott party activities as we prepare for the 2019 general election,” said the state vice chairman (North) of the party, Dr. Valentine Eneji.
The next party activity is slated for September 28, 2018. It is the presidential primary election. The national executive of the party had also slated gubernatorial primaries for September 29, 2018.
Eneji argued that the battle the APC is facing in retaining Osun governorship was because of the, “abuse of zoning” agreement and maintained that the zone will resist any plot to take the governorship ticket from them.
He averred that: “Look at what’s happening in Osun governorship election; it is embarrassing that APC as a ruling party in the state is struggling to retain the state. If the ticket was zoned to Osun West as it ought to be, the election would have been competitive in all the senatorial districts not this situation where the entire Osun West was donated to PDP because of the unwillingness of the party to respect zoning.
“Akwa Ibom state have zoned their governorship ticket formally to Eket Senatorial district where it was zoned in 2014. Many of the states have done same. Why then is the case of Cross River different?”
Continuing, Eneji said that: “We have been in opposition for about 20 years now. We have a clear chance of winning the state now. So all relevant organs of the party must consider all factors to ensure that we don’t just contest the election but contest to win.”
The stakeholders also denied ever endorsing any aspirant from other zones as rumored and posited that it wouldn’t have been possible as the north remains the only senatorial district to produce the next APC governorship candidate.
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